Category: thriftshop

Ok before I say too much… just look at this and decide if you think this is a good look for a lesbian.

Alright, now that you have decided let me tell you more about it. I started with this base layer,

Just a cream colored shirt, black levi jeans, and a beautiful necklace courtesy of my girlfriend.

For accessories I have a bulova watch with a hairband and cat scratch. Hairbands are the universal lesbian club bracelet and cat scratches mean VIP member.

Now… my grey Clark’s desert boots and a $5 thrift shop sweater. What?? A thrift shop find post? Yes. Stuff you find in thrift shops can be very similar to the stuff you find in Urban Outfitters. The main difference is about $80.

What made this item stand out to me was it’s shades of blue pattern. It kind of looks like a grandma sweater with how it’s woven pattern. On the other hand, it’s cut is like a motorcycle jacket. I can’t do leather motorcycle jackets, personally. It’s too over the top butch for me, especially because I’ve never so much as rode on a moped. But having that style as a sweater? Let’s try it out. Here are some more pics so you be the judge and let me know if this was a good look or a total flop.

During my series on tailoring men’s shirts, I talked a bit about looking at discounted shirts including clothes from thrift stores. I decided to do a little bit on second hand finds because I love the hunt and here’s why:

You will not be wearing an item that someone else is wearing.

You can wear something that looks a little ironic which makes you look fun.

You save a ton of money.

Maybe it’s immature but I really do like the idea of having something very unique and one-of-a-kind like a Mewtwo EX. My perfect outfit would be one where I do not stick out like a sore thumb, but you notice the details in it when you are close up and think it looks really coordinated and unique on me. I think the same thing about when people wear the perfect amount of cologne – you can’t smell it from across the room and suffocate, instead its a nice subtle surprise. My ideal outfit would be coordinated, fit right, go well with my surroundings, and look a little feminine and masculine at the same time in a way only I could do. But I’m just dreaming now.

Really one of the great things about at least attempting being a trendy lesbian is you can’t really go wrong unless it’s a total eyesore. I really do think people are less likely to comment negatively on your clothes out of fear of sounding ignorant, because lesbian fashion hasn’t really been established beyond what Ellen has set and therefore no one knows. Obviously there are butches and femmes, but a lot of people fall in the middle and are still establishing what “dressing up” in that realm looks like. For me its taking the best parts of men’s and women’s fashion to have a somewhat androgynous look, while still having it known that this is a woman’s body.

If that was deep, then this next one is a made of foam, because #2 is me wearing things kinda sarcastically in a way that (I hope) is not mocking, but fun. Really I buy pretty loud things that end up looking fun, but are so memorable that I cannot use them as an everyday wear. Which is perfect for point number 3: cheap. If I’m going to wear purposely loud things that can’t be repeated daily, at least they are cheap.

Here’s a rule I have to buying loud thrift shop finds: if you are going to wear something borderline too much, balance it with a traditional nice looking outfit. Like, if I’m going to wear a loud jacket that a older kindergarten teacher used to wear, then I’m going to wear it with a new J. Crew oxford and some Banana Republic pants and some monk strap shoes. You would think it makes the jacket looks extra cheap compared to the nice clothes but really I think it helps fool people into thinking it, too, is from an uppity store. It’s the cheerleader effect.

From now on, I’ll tag all my posts with loud articles as “loud” and “fun” and if it’s from a thrift shop then… “thrift shop”. I am highlighting this because I think these are the most fun to look at and the most fun to show. Less of advice and more “look at me and my nonsense!”